Dance Of The Dogs
by CelticFaerie2
Summary: AU: Ch 4 now up! Abby and Luka talk, Abby draws some unsettling conclusions, Luka fixes breakfst...Please read and review!
1. Default Chapter

Dance Of The Dogs  
  
An ER fan fiction by AbCaLuDa  
  
**Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own anything ER. I don't own the song, Dance Of The Dogs, as recorded by a long defunct band called Lynch Mob…Lyrics set off by * because I don't know how to make Italics work on ff.net  
  
**Rated R for suggestive imagery, violence, and language. You have been warned.  
  
**This is a revised version…I posted 4 chapters previously but I got a new idea and thought of a few details to make the story better…So I hope you like it!  
  
I expect to have rotating narrators for this story…  
  
Feedback is encouraged, flames are not. Constructive criticism is appreciated. Thanks so much!  
  
Chapter 1  
  
******  
  
In a dark and smoky room  
  
A shade of webs that leads you to  
  
A tattered stage that's worn and grey  
  
Another girl sweats for another day's pay  
  
******  
  
The last chords of the song vibrate through her feet, and her body continues to throb as she takes her bow. She makes a quick sweep of the stage, gathering loose change and a few dollar bills before slithering off into the darkness.   
  
She has only three minutes to dress for the next set, a private dance in the back room.   
  
She stuffs her tips into her jar, to be counted later, and slips into the dressing room. One of the other girls helps her with the tie straps of her new top, and gives her make up a quick once-over.  
  
"Thanks, Doll." She smiles and shifts her top as she walks, her steps rushed to get to the client quickly.  
  
*******  
  
Oh, under a silver moon  
  
She leaves her thoughts behind  
  
Yesterday's long gone cold  
  
The hourglass of time  
  
Lays heavy on her mind  
  
******  
  
She takes her position just as the curtain opens, and she throws herself into the dance. Her mind shuts down when she performs, she can't afford to let herself think about what she is doing, what her life has become. Just a means of survival, she tells herself, the only work she could find and it isn't so bad, really. Most nights, anyway. And the money is good. She usually clears more than a thousand a week. She never got that plugging away bagging groceries or checking items at Wal-Mart.  
  
Never mind that she hates herself for it. Never mind that she feels dirty, soiled, damaged. No one, no man, will ever want her after this. She isn't looking for love anyway. Ever. She thought she had it once, and look how that turned out.   
  
But she can't think of that, can't think of sweet baby Avery when she's working.  
  
******  
  
Child, blessed with a smile  
  
Slithers like a snake, the way she moves  
  
Wild, oh so wild  
  
Runnin' from her mind, but she always seems to lose  
  
******  
  
He can't touch her, that's what the rules say. She can get close to him, play into his lap, but he can't touch her. Not one finger.   
  
She can feel the heat of his lust, the power of his desire, but he can't touch her.  
  
She twists her body in ways a body shouldn't be able to go. She juts her breasts in his face, and reaches behind herself to untie the flimsy straps of her flimsy shirt.   
  
He licks his lips at the sight of her pear-shaped attributes, and she caresses the curves with a single finger on each side. She knows he wants to touch her, and she knows he will think of her later when he touched himself.  
  
Her step falters, she nearly loses her balance, but catches herself on the arms of his chair. He grunts, she smells the sweat, mixed with cheap aftershave, and chokes back the urge to vomit in his lap.  
  
He has paid for her show, and she can't afford to upset him.  
  
******  
  
Under a silver moon, her eyes will never lie  
  
She's on a trip so long  
  
The hourglass of time lays heavy on her mind  
  
And there ain't nothin' you can do  
  
******  
  
She thinks the set will never end. Three songs. She has to dance three songs for him. She can't think about the full set she did on the main stage already. No rest for the wicked, they say. She has to keep going until her shift ends. Two more songs. Just two more songs.   
  
She steps back, putting a good three or four inches between them. She bends her knees, licking her lips, trying to look sexy as she shimmies back up, caressing herself. She doesn't dare look at him.   
  
She closes her eyes and thinks about the guy who always sits in the back, alone, nursing just one beer all night long. She thinks about him a lot. He looks too…too sophisticated to be in a girly club. She likes to pretend he's going to save her one of these days…In her mind, he takes her away to some far away place, far far from here, and they live happily ever after just like all the princesses in the fairy tales she used to read.  
  
******  
  
Dance, bitch, dance  
  
Until there's nothing left to hide  
  
Dance, honey, dance  
  
Your mama should have taught you right  
  
So wipe your tears away  
  
******  
  
She feel the familiar sting of tears, the self loathing that rises in her throat like bile. She swallows it back, and prays she can just get through the next song. Just one more song.   
  
She bites her lip to keep it all in, turns her back to him and bends over to put her ass out to him. Sweat trickles down her face, dripping off her chin like rain.   
  
******  
  
Yeah, nice and easy, now do it!  
  
******  
  
Finally the song ends and the room falls into shadow. She hurries out the back door, moving quickly to the bathroom. She reaches the stall just in time, and after emptying her stomach, she leans against the wall shaking.  
  
"Hey. You okay, Abby?"  
  
"Yeah. Fine. I'm okay." Abby opens the door, and steps out into the light.  
  
"You don't look okay," one of the other girls says with a hint of concern in her voice.  
  
Abby shrugs. "I think I just got too hot. I'll be fine."  
  
"If you say so."  
  
Abby nods, splashes cold water on her face, and walks out to the dressing area.  
  
******  
  
Under a silver moon, her eyes will never lie  
  
She's on a trip so long  
  
The hourglass of time lays heavy on her mind  
  
And there ain't nothin' you can do  
  
Dance, bitch, dance  
  
Until there's nothing left to hide  
  
Dance, honey, dance  
  
Your mama should have taught you right  
  
So wipe your tears away  
  
******  
  
She blots her eyes and grabs a few extra tissues to keep in her pocket. She pulls her coat tight around her neck and steps out into the night. She hasn't had a reaction like that since the beginning of her dancing career when it was all new and exciting and terrifying.   
  
* * * * * *  
  
That's the end of the revised first chapter. Please, please, please, use the review button to let me know what you think. I truly appreciate my readers but I only know you're out there if you review…So get to it! It only takes a moment and it makes me really happy ;) Plus I want to know what you think…So…please review! Thanks so much for reading! 


	2. Chapter 2

Dance Of The Dogs  
  
An ER fan fiction by AbCaLuDa  
  
**See chapter 1 for warnings and disclaimers.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
She blots her eyes and grabs a few extra tissues to keep in her pocket. She pulls her coat tight around her neck and steps out into the night. She hasn't had a reaction like that since the beginning of her dancing career when it was all new and exciting and terrifying.   
  
Someone whistles and she stops, looks around, tries to figure out where the sound came from. A man steps out of the shadows, smelling of sweat and cheap aftershave. She wants to run, but her feet won't move.  
  
"I thought you might come out this way. How about a ride home?"  
  
She shakes her head. "Thanks, but I like to walk."  
  
"It's not safe for a pretty girl like you to be out alone at night. Especially in this neighborhood."  
  
"Please, I just want to go home." Her feet seem to have grown roots in the ground. He's less than arm' length from her and she can't move. She tries but she can't make herself move.  
  
"I'm offering you a ride."  
  
"That's very kind of you, but it's really not necessary. I can walk."  
  
"I know you can walk, but you don't have to."   
  
"Do you want my purse? You can have it. There's eleven hundred dollars in the wallet. I got paid tonight. Take it. You can have it."  
  
He laughs, and the sound makes her nervous. She glances to the side, wonders if she has any hope of out running him.   
  
"I don't want your money, sweetheart."  
  
She pushes off the ground, fearing with every step that she will fall. He's right behind her, pulling her down. She feels the ground rush up to meet her, and his weight holding her down.  
  
"It didn't have to be this way, bitch."  
  
She feels the bruising blow of his fist, and her head hits the ground with a deafening crack.  
  
* * * * * * *   
  
He leaves a tip on the table even though the waitress never had to do anything for him, and he heads for the door. The balmy night air threatens to choke him as he steps out the door. His car is parked around the side of the building and he has a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach.  
  
It's a full moon, the kind of night the crazies come out, especially on this side of town. He has his keys in his hand already, but he sees something that makes his heart stop before he ever gets to the car.  
  
Behind the building, he sees the shadow of a man, hitting something. Someone. One of the girls from the club. He recognizes her despite the blood.   
  
He acts impulsively, jumping on the guy, throwing him off the girl, wrestling him to the ground. He gets his hands around the neck and slams the head against the pavement. Once, twice, three times. He can't stop.   
  
The girl moans, and the miserable sound distracts him. He releases the guy and watches him fall limp. He doesn't bother to check for breath, he doesn't care if he has killed the creep. He feels no guilt or remorse, because men who take advantage of women like this don't deserve to take up space.  
  
He kneels beside her and takes her wrist in his hand. Her pulse is weak, but it's there. He gets to his feet and reaches down to pick her up. She tries to shrink away from him, but she doesn't have the strength.  
  
"It's all right," he says to her. "I'm going to help you."  
  
"No…" She reaches up to touch his face.  
  
"It's going to be all right." He carries her to his car and eases her into the back seat.  
  
"No doctors," she moans. "No hospitals."  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Well, what do you think. Do you think you know who her savior is? Come on, leave a review. You know you want to, and you know I want you to ;) Take a second or two, just let me know you're out there. Thanks so much for reading! 


	3. Chapter 3

Dance Of The Dogs  
  
An ER fan fiction by AbCaLuDa  
  
Chapter 3  
  
She feels like a butterfly in his arms, delicate and fragile. Her head against his shoulder creates a soothing warmth around his head, and for the first time since Carol left, he feels he has a reason to go on. This is the reason he trudged through the days and nights, wandering aimlessly through the shattered remains of his worthless life.  
  
One of his neighbors opens the door to the building and holds the door. Luka Kovac laughs and pretends to kiss the girl in his arms.   
  
"Evenin', Dr. Kovac," the neighbor nods..  
  
Luka nods too. "Night, Jack." He is thankful for the darkness that hides the girl's face.  
  
He carries her up to his apartment, struggles to support her weight and get his key in the lock. He lays her on his couch, then smoothes the hair from her forehead and checks her pulse. Still weak, but stronger. He knows he should take her to the hospital, but she said no. She specifically said no hospitals.  
  
"You're going to be just fine," he tells her. He gets a towel from the bathroom and kneels beside her. He starts with her arms because that is less intrusive than the face, and he knows he needs to gain her trust.  
  
"Stop," she cries and pushes at him. "No hospitals…"  
  
"Shhh. It's all right. I'm a doctor. I can help you."  
  
"No! No doctors! No hospitals!" She lunges up, but falls back against the pillows with a helpless moan.  
  
"It's okay. I'm going to help you. You were beat up pretty bad. Do you remember what happened?"  
  
She shakes her head and brings a hand up to claw at her hair. "Did he…did he…"  
  
Luka nods. "He tried."  
  
"Oh God…"  
  
"You're safe now," he says. "No one will hurt you here."  
  
She sits up suddenly, and looks around the room with wild, unfocused eyes. "Where's Avery? Avery! Avery, baby, where are you?"  
  
"Who's Avery?"  
  
She looks at him, her eyes burning with tears. "What have you done with my baby? Where is she? Where is Avery? Tell me! Tell me where she is!"  
  
He tries to ease her back against the pillows. "It's all right. Avery wasn't with you. You were alone. Do you remember?"  
  
"I want my baby."  
  
"I don't think you would want her to see you like this. Let me clean you up and we'll talk about it when you're stronger."  
  
"Don't you touch me!" She swings her fist at him and the force behind the blow knocks him off balance for a moment. He recovers and circles his arms around her, effectively pinning her arms against her body. She attempts to fight his hold, but after a few seconds she gives up and lets her body fall slack.  
  
He eases her down to the pillows. "I'm not going to hurt you."  
  
"Why? Why are you doing this?"  
  
Dare he tell her that it's because when he saw the attack, his heart started racing and he felt alive for the first time in months? "I couldn't just leave you there to die or wish you were dying. I wish you would let me take you to the hospital. I'm a doctor I can…"  
  
"No. Please. No. No hospital."  
  
"Your injuries could be serious…I need X-rays and blood work ups…"  
  
"I said no."  
  
"What are you afraid of?"  
  
She pushes herself up and cradles her head in her hands. She takes a deep breath. "I just can't go to the hospital, okay? Or the police or anywhere else. I just want to go home."  
  
"If you can stand and walk out to my car on your own I'll take you home."  
  
"I can't."  
  
"I know. So lay back down and let me take care of you."  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
He watches her sleep and he wonders what her story is. He knows she's a topless dancer, obviously. He's seen her perform more times than he could remember. He always liked her best. She had style, and a wild look in her eye that seemed to match the unsettled rumble in his soul.  
  
Her stage name is Abby Rose, and it fits her. He likes how it sounds. Abby Rose. He wonders if she will tell him her real name. Mostly he wonders where Avery is, and if Avery is the reason she's so afraid to go to the hospital.   
  
Then he wonders what he's gotten himself into.  
  
But it's too late to worry about that. He hasn't wondered about anything for a very long time, and it feels good. It feels very good to care bout something again. Not just something, someone.   
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
This fic is taking quite a different turn…I like it. I hope you do too. So use the review button and let me know. It only takes a second and it makes me feel special…I really want to know what you're thinking…Thanks so much for reading. 


	4. Chapter 4

Dance Of The Dogs  
  
An ER fan fiction by AbCaLuDa  
  
Chapter 4  
  
She wakes and eyes him skeptically. He's sprawled out in the chair, his huge feet propped up on the table between the chair and the sofa where she lays. Her head hurts like hell. She wishes she could go back to sleep and never wake up.  
  
She has no idea where she is, or who the giant in the chair is. She recognizes him, of course. He's the guy from the club, the one she often fantasized about. She doesn't even know his name. Until last night when he saved her from the attack, she hadn't even known he was a foreigner.  
  
She can't place the accent. European, definitely. But not English, French, German, Spanish or anything instantly recognized. Not that it matters. She really doesn't care where he's from. She simply wonders who he is, and more importantly, where she is.  
  
She thinks of Avery and feels a wave of intense panic surge through her. She tries to get up, but even using the table for support she can't quite do it. She gets to her feet and falls back.   
  
She tries again, and the result is the same. Two more tries and she gives in to the tears that sting her eyes. She leans back, covers her face with her hands.  
  
"What is it?" He moves to the couch, sits beside her. "Are you in pain?"  
  
She shakes her head. She doesn't want to look at him, but her hands fall away from her face. "I have to g home."  
  
"Because of Avery?" he asks. She feels her eyes widen. He knows about Avery…"You mentioned her last night," he adds.  
  
She takes a deep breath. She feels like her whole world has come crashing down around her feet. She thinks she would be better off if this wonderful man hadn't saved her. She would be better off dead. Especially if this guy is working with Richard…She searches his face. His eyes are too kind, too lost. But looks can be deceiving, she knows that truth all too well.   
  
"It's all right," he says and his accent is so smooth and lulling, she could almost forget her fears. "I'm not going to hurt you."  
  
"I don't even know your name," she says.   
  
"Luka," he offers. "Your next question is where I am from." She nods, he smiles. "I am from Croatia."  
  
"Thank you for not taking me to a hospital." She says, hoping to draw out his motives.   
  
He pushes a hand through his hair and puts his other hand against her forehead. "Against my better judgment. I am a doctor at County General. I could take you there and do a work-up on you to be sure everything is okay."  
  
"No. No hospitals."  
  
He shrugs. "You seem to be doing fine."  
  
"Why are you doing this? Why bring me to your house?"  
  
He stands, obviously uncomfortable with the questions. "I don't know." He goes to the little kitchen, which is only a few feet behind the couch and still in plain sight. "I was walking to my car last night when I saw the attack. I couldn't ignore that, so I attacked him and then I couldn't leave you there to die. You said no hospitals and no cops, so I brought you here. I didn't know where else to take you."  
  
"You can take me home now." She says without thinking of the consequences. She's only thinking of getting home to Avery.  
  
"Not until you are strong."  
  
She listens to him moving around in the kitchen and tries not to feel like a prisoner. She doesn't know for sure that he's working for Richard, and he certainly doesn't seem the type. But she doesn't know him, or his type really. He could be anybody, anything.   
  
She knows his name is Luka, and he lives in a nice apartment. He could be just a really nice guy, but she's been around long enough to know there are not very many of those left in the world. And since when did she ever have the kind of luck to stumble on one like this?  
  
"I hope you like eggs and bacon," he says.  
  
"I'm a vegetarian," she answers. "I don't eat anything from an animal."  
  
"You need to eat to keep your strength."  
  
"I'm not eating eggs and bacon."   
  
Cupboard doors open and close. "Peanut butter and jelly then."  
  
"I don't care." She has no intention of eating it anyway.   
  
Her eyes wander to the window. She can see rooftops, so she knows she is up at least a couple of floors. Maybe later she'll feel strong enough to try the fire escape. She can't wait too long, and she knows it's probably been too long already and every minute counts now. She has to get home to Avery before Richard finds her.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Well, there you have it. Please use the review option and tell me what you think. It only takes a moment and it means the world to me. I really appreciate each and every single review, so what are you waiting for? I'm on my knees, I'm begging…please review me! Thanks so much for reading. 


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